Out of the corner of my eye I saw some movement. I looked over just in time to watch this moth land on these dried leaves. I took out my camera, and when I went to take the photo, it took me a minute to find it again. Even after I took a couple a photos, my brain was still a little uncertain whether or not I had taken a picture of a dried leaf or a moth. To check, I slightly moved the vegetation that it was resting on. It slightly vibrated its wings to let me know it was there.
It truly feels impossible to put into words how incredible this moth’s texture and patten resembles dried leaves. It knows this and chooses the right place to land in order to camouflage itself. When I saw this one land, it was initially facing upward. Quickly after it lit upon the leaves, it shifted into this more downward facing position before it came to rest.
I used the following online publication to identify this moth: Lepidoptera of the Pacific Northwest: Caterpillars and Adults
